Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Ukies love expensive watches..

Probably Ukraine's best known television political talk-show host, Savik Shuster, was seen recently wearing a $120k Breguet wristwatch, of the kind so beloved by Ukraine's flashy elites..and also by missus Yanukovych.

He admitted to journalists the watch was a gift, but refused to say from whom...

absolutely astonishing...the man is compromised...but we knew that already..

Another recipent of an expensive watch, Presidential Administration spokesperson, Hanna Herman, seems to have been banished from the PA, and is now standing on the "naughty step". She did not accompany her boss Viktor Yanukovych to New York recently, and was not seen in Warsaw for the Eastern Partnership summit either, even though she had lived in Poland in the past and knows the scene there well. Someone had to take the blame for the plagiarised book fiasco and it was, allegedly, all her idea... Did she have to give the watch back too?

p.s. How far respect for the law in Ukraine lags behind that of normal European countries is well illustrated in this 10-minute video clip produced by brave journalist Dmytro Hnap.

In most countries the roads belong to everyone and can be freely used by everyone - but not in Ukraine. The video exposes the scandalous and rapidly-growing practice of businesses, banks, restaurants etc. reserving portions of the roadside for their own exclusive use by means of unofficial, [but official-looking] signage, and traffic cones. Invariably, hostile security men challenge any normal citizen who dares take advantage of his citizen's right to park his vehicle in such locations. Because all of this is illegal, in clear and direct contravention to Ukrainian traffic laws, one would think it would be easy to sort out, but no...Asking notoriously corrupt police officers to intervene is a complete waste of time. As the video clip reveals, some state agencies, including DAI traffic police themselves, deploy these despicable practices themselves...

If any vehicle dare get in the way of premier Azarov's motor cavalcade in Kyiv, it gets a whack from the baton of Azarov's bodyguards..Meanwhile thousands of the capital's commuters are stuck in public transport for half an hour at a time waiting for Azarov to pass..

Public access to the coast and beaches are routinely blocked off to the detriment of the community and tourism.

It should be posersible to walk/cycle along the coast between Alushta to Yalta and beyond. But authorities and planners have not acted to protect public access.

It is a shame as a coastal walkway cycle track would be good for tourism and the local economy.

someone should undertrake an audit of public land and coastal access. If access has been prevented then a mass potest pulling down fenses with camera's in tow would attrack broad public support as this land has been stolen from the public to benefit the few.